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Proposal Process

Overview

Researchers wanting to access the ESnet 100G Testbed must submit a 1-2 page proposal as described in the process below. Please look at the Testbed Description to get a more details on the current configuration of the testbed.

Researchers must submit a PDF version of the proposal with detailed information on:

Proposed research

Testbed usage

Testbed components used

How much time on the testbed will be required, and over what duration

Demonstrate the "readiness" of the proposal with evidence that the code is running in a local environment.

List of who will need access to the testbed, and their qualifications (including the URL to a CV is fine)

The proposal review panel will discuss and review proposals twice a year: October 1 and April 1. Proposals should be sent to: testbed-proposal@es.net

Selection criteria

The criteria for selecting the proposals will be based on:

Relevance of the proposed work to the DOE SC mission

will the work help inform future ESnet design?

will the work help benifit DOE Science?

Quality of proposed research which includes:

Clear, focused research topic,

Creative and original concept, and

Test plan

Qualifications of the team

Readiness: is the project ready to run experiments right away?

Value of ESnet testbed resources to the research

Level of support required by ESnet staff

Our goal is to accept at roughly five proposals every review cycle. A greater number of proposals may be selected, depending on testbed and resources required to support the testing. Priority will be given to researchers who are currently funded by the DOE ASCR Next Generation Networking Program (http://www.er.doe.gov/ASCR/Research/NextGen.html) and ESnet collaborators. Priority will also be given to research that is the most relevant to the DOE SC and ESnet missions. Researchers with accepted proposals will be given access to the testbed for up to 1 year, and can apply for 1-year extensions as needed. An ESnet engineer will be assigned to each research project to help with testbed configuration issues.

Researcher Requirements

All researchers who are granted access to the testbed must provide a public ‘abstract’ on their project’s research, describing how they are planning to use the testbed. Researchers must also submit periodic status reports summarizing progress and any problems with the testbed they encountered and/or feature requests.

Success Metrics

For a testbed project (and the testbed) to be deemed successful, it must offer the following characteristics:

Repeatable results

Communication of results to ESnet staff and the broader network research community